Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Congressional Baseball Game Mass Shooting

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Prior to the game, the Republicans held practices at the same time and place each morning.[13]

After leaving the practice and before the shooting, Representatives DeSantis and Duncan were approached by a man who asked whether it was Republicans or Democrats on the field. Duncan is reported to have replied that it was the Republican team.[14] DeSantis later told reporters that both he and Duncan believe that individual was "the same individual police have identified [as the attacker]."[14]

Three Capitol Police were present at the practice to protect Scalise,[15] who merits a security detail assigned to protect him.[16]

The team began its practice around 6:30 a.m. EDT.[17][18][13] The practice game had been underway for about half an hour when the assailant began firing. According to Capitol Hill police, he was armed with a 7.62 mmsemi-automatic rifle and a 9 mm handgun, both of which he had apparently purchased legally.[1]

The Capitol Police officers had been posted behind the first-base dugout. When Hodgkinson opened fire, two of the officers, David Bailey and Crystal Griner, rushed onto the field to protect the politicians. The third Capitol Police officer, Henry Cabrera, took aim at the shooter from behind the first-base dugout, while the shooter ducked behind the third-base dugout.[15][19]

At 7:09 a.m., the Alexandria Police received a 9-1-1 report of shots fired. Two police officers arrived within three minutes and also engaged Hodgkinson in a gunfight. Witnesses estimated between 50 to 100 shots were fired during the shootout, which lasted about 10 minutes before Hodgkinson was shot by a Capitol Police officer.[20][16] Scalise, who was at second base when the shooting started, was shot in the hip and tried to drag himself off the field. While the shooting was still going on, Rep. Mo Brooks used his belt as a tourniquet to help stop bleeding for a staffer who had been shot in the calf. After the shooting ended, Brooks and Rep. Brad Wenstrup — a podiatrist and combat surgeon — were able to help Scalise.[21]

Several witnesses said their lives were saved by the presence of the Capitol Police, who were there because of Scalise's position as the majority whip. The Capitol Police immediately engaged Hodgkinson and kept him pinned down, preventing him from continuing to fire on the unarmed baseball players. Rep. Davis and Sen. Rand Paul separately said that but for the presence of the officers the incident "would have been a massacre."[22][4][23]

Scalise was shot in the hip and was evacuated by medical helicopter to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was initially reported to be in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.[16][24] However, it was reported later that day that he was in critical condition.[25]MedStar Washington Hospital Center later reported that after the bullet struck Scalise's hip, it traveled across his pelvis — fracturing bones, injuring internal organs, and causing severe bleeding. He received multiple blood transfusions, and underwent an additional procedure to stop the bleeding.[26] On June 15, he remained in critical condition after undergoing a third surgery.[1]

Matt Mika, a Tyson Foods lobbyist, was shot multiple times in the chest. He suffered injuries to his lungs and sternum as well as broken ribs.[27][28][29] Mika was reported to be in critical condition following surgery.[30] He is a former baseball player and former legislative assistant for Congressmen Tim Walberg and Dave Camp, both Republican Representatives from Michigan.[27] The day after the shooting, Mika was reportedly upgraded from critical to serious condition.[31]

David Bailey and Crystal Griner, two of the Capitol Police officers assigned to protect Scalise, were both injured.[32]Griner was shot in the ankle and was hospitalized in what was described as good condition.[33] Bailey was treated and released after sustaining a minor wound not caused by gunfire.[34][19]

Zack Barth, a legislative aide to Rep. Roger Williams of Texas, was shot in the calf;[35] Williams said Barth is expected to make a full recovery.[36] He was treated at the hospital and released.[33] Williams himself was not shot, but injured his ankle while jumping into a dugout during the attack.[6][37]Williams is a former minor league baseball player and the coach of the Republican team.

The St. Clair County Sheriff said that deputies had been called to Hodgkinson's house about half a dozen times in the past 20 years. The most serious was in March 2017, when a neighbor called police to complain about the extremist firing a rifle at trees in their residential neighborhood. The officers who responded checked Hodgkinson's gun permit, then advised him not to shoot in the area, but did not conduct an arrest.[40]

Hodgkinson owned a home inspection business that had an expired license at the time of the shooting. His wife still lives in their Belleville home.[40] Investigators believe that he had been living in a van in Alexandria for about six weeks at the time of the shooting.[41][40] Witnesses say he often parked the van near the ball field and YMCA, and was a frequent visitor to the YMCA.[40]

Hodgkinson had campaigned for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 United States presidential election, and was described by a fellow campaigner in Iowa as a "quiet guy, very mellow, very reserved" and a "passionate progressive and showed no signs of violence or malice toward others."[41][42]Republican Congressman Mike Bost, who represents the shooter's home district, said Hodgkinson had contacted his office 10 times, but "never with any threats, only anger."[41][43]

On May 22, 2017, Hodgkinson wrote "Trump is a Traitor. Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It's Time to Destroy Trump & Co." above his repost of a Change.org petition demanding "the legal removal" of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for "treason". He belonged to a Facebook group called "Terminate the Republican Party".[44]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which took over the investigation, said on June 14 that it was too early to ascribe a motive for the shootings.[4] It put out a request for public assistance with, "any information regarding Hodgkinson".[38]

The attack drew a bipartisan response as many politicians immediately sent out notes expressing their anger over the shooting, recovery wishes for the injured and gratitude for the police. News of the shooting and injuries quickly reached the Democratic Congressional Baseball players, who were at their own practice when it occurred. They gathered together in the dugout to pray for the injured.[45]

President Donald Trump issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened by this tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the members of Congress, their staffs, Capitol Police, first responders, and all others affected."[46] President Trump and his wife Melania visited Scalise, Crystal Griner, and her wife in the hospital.[47]

Sen. Bernie Sanders' reaction to news that gunman was a volunteer for his 2016 campaign.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R–WI) addressed the House of Representatives before their afternoon session and said, "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us." Members of both parties rose in applause to his remarks.[48]

Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D–AZ), who survived being shot in the head at a constituent event in 2011, sent a tweet, "My heart is with my former colleagues, their families and staff, and the US Capitol Police — public servants and heroes today and every day."[9]

Hours after the shooting, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–VT) responded on the Senate floor to news that the gunman was a campaign volunteer for his 2016 presidential run. Sanders said:

I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the Republican baseball practice is someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. I am sickened by this despicable act. Let me be as clear as I can be, violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come about through nonviolent action, and anything else runs counter to our most deeply held American values.[49]

External video

Congressional leaders announced Wednesday afternoon that the Congressional Baseball Game, which is played for charity, would take place as scheduled the next day and would not be postponed because of the attack.[50]

The annual game has usually attracted a crowd of about 10,000 people, but in the day following the shooting, more than 20,000 tickets had been sold, bringing in more than $1 million for charity.[51][52] David Bailey, one of the two Capitol Police officers injured in the shootout, threw out the first pitch. Bailey, who relied on crutches because his injury, received a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd in Nationals Park.[51][53] The Democrat team defeated the Republican team 11–2, but loaned the trophy to the Republicans until Scalise recovers.[52]

What We Know About GOP Shooter James T. Hodgkinson - NYMagnymag.com/daily/.../james-t-hodgkinson-identified-as-shooter-of-gop-lawmakers.htm...2 days ago - For the past several weeks Hodgkinson had been “living out of a gym ... tried escaping withHodgkinson's daughter in a vehicle, Hodgkinson ...

Who Is James T. Hodgkinson? - The Atlantichttps://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/who-is...hodgkinson/530295/2 days ago - He said the man had been living out of his gym bag. ... When Hodgkinson's girlfriend tried to leave in a vehicle, he reached inside and “turned ...

Shooting suspect recently moved to area, was living out of van | WTOPwtop.com › Latest News › Local News › Virginia › Alexandria, VA News1 day ago - Investigators believe Hodgkinson had been living in his van near the ... He was also charged for damaging a vehicle for cutting the seat belt ...6-year-old Belleville, Illinois, man previously ran a home inspection business in Illinois, where he also had several minor run-ins with police over the years.posts on his Facebook page and letters to his hometown newspaper, Hodgkinson had a history of railing against income inequality and the Republican Party.

In letters to the editor, republished by the Belleville News-Democrat, Hodgkinson repeatedly writes about income inequality, arguing that widening inequality and low tax brackets for the richest Americans enacted in the 1920s led to the Great Depression.

“If we don’t raise the tax brackets to reach the rich we will never get out of this Great Recession,” he wrote in a 2012 letter to the editor.

cared a neighbor when he fired a hunting rifle into a field near other homes. A sheriff’s deputy responded but no charges were filed, The Associated Press reported.

In the 1990s, he was arrested for resisting police and drunken driving. In 2006, he was arrested on two counts of battery — for punching a man in the face with a shotgun stock and for punching a woman with his fist. He was also charged for damaging a vehicle for cutting the seat belt with a knife, according to The Associated Press.

Emerging portrait of shooting suspect James T. Hodgkinson: Anti ...https://www.washingtonpost.com/.../ba6439f4-510f-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.ht...2 days ago - For weeks, James T. Hodgkinson sat in the lobby of the YMCA in ... The FBI saidHodgkinson had arrived in Alexandria by March and was living out of .... got into the neighbor's car, butHodgkinson opened the door of the car, ...

New York Times revealed date & location of this private event in April.[edit]

It's noteworthy when a reliable source says it's noteworthy. It's also known that he was living at the YMCA right near the ballpark, so that may be how he found out about the practices... or any one of countless other ways. — PinkAmpers&(Je vous invite à me parler) 13:52, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

Thank you for that link, 178.191.95.102. I believe it might indeed turn out to be notweorthy, as it's a possible explanation for why the perpetrator ended up in northern Virginia a few months ago. I'm sure we will learn more in the coming days, and a link to that NYT article might end up in this article. Thanks again. Moncrief (talk) 15:30, 15 June 2017 (UTC)

The shooter’s wife says he had moved to Alexandria two months ago, but she did not explain why. Hodgkinson had apparently been reconnoitering the field since his arrival in the Virginia city. When his photo was published after the attack, Alexandria resident Stephen Brennwald recognized him as someone who regularly appeared mornings at the YMCA adjacent to the field where the attack occurred. Brennwald became suspicious of Hodgkinson, saying: “He never worked out. He never talked to anybody. He never did anything. He’d just sit there and stare at his laptop.” Brennwald said, adding that he often stared out the window, with “this kind of faraway stare.” Shortly prior to moving, Hodgkinson’s Illinois neighbors also report that he had practiced shooting on his property but was told to stop by local police after the neighbors complained. Media reports state that Hodgkinson had been living in his personal vehicle in Alexandria.

Consider a small selection of the outrageous remarks and behavior:

Shakespeare in the Park: Donald Trump lookalike knifed in the back playing Julius Caesar

Terrorist attack on GOP baseball game? | IGN Boards
www.ign.com › Jun 14, 2017 · ... and 5 republicans including the house whip ... Boards > The Vault > Outpost > Terrorist attack on GOP baseball ... went behind a dugout and starting shooting … think any details about the shooter have been released yet, but whatever he was, this won't be then end of this sort of thing. The country is ramped up on political vitriol like it hasn't been since the late 60s and early 70s.

And he could end up just being a random crazy, although that seems unlikely.

NBC News - at 7:30 in the morning there are no gangs shooting at baseball players, this is targeted, using rifle suspect in custody

39 mins ago - New reports are coming in of a shooting occurring at a YMCA baseball field where GOP Congresspeople were playing in Del Ray, Alexandria, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. ... United States House of Representatives Majority Whip and representative for Louisiana’s 1st, Steve ...